The Wrath of Dragonfire
by Spiderwiz
Summary: In Desolation of Smaug, we all saw the scene where Thranduil reveals his scar. It is unknown to us how he got it though, so here is the story that tells us what really happened. Why was Thranduil confronting a dragon? How will Legolas react when he sees his father's injury? Will Lord Elrond be able to heal him?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm writing this as an entry to a contest on the Lord of The Rings Amino. That being said, I haven't submitted it yet, so any/all reviews and comments would be AWESOME! Because it takes me a while just to get 1000 words written and I want to publish this first part today, I will presenting this is chapters. I'm not planning on it being too long though, just 2-3. This story is based off a drawing I found somewhere on Pinterest.**

 **Time took: About 1 hour, including the research I did to write this.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

" _Do not talk to me of dragonfire! I know its wrath and ruin.._

 _I have faced the great serpents of the North."_

 _~King Thranduil, The Desolation of Smaug_

Fighting for your people is always a brave and courageous thing. When you're a leader, it shows that you care, and it shows that you are worthy of your throne. Yet.. Battle can also be a very dangerous thing. It is rare to return home with everyone intact, much less alive. Even for a small army of elves, who are quick to heal, the effects of battle can be devastating… There are some injuries that not even an elf can recover from.

Many, many years ago, about 1,000 years to be more precise, the mighty Elven King Thranduil took a small army of Greenwood's finest warriors to the north. There, at the Withered Heath, they went to kill the last of the dragons living and breeding there. Dragons were horrible, deadly, greedy creatures, who, in the minds of countless people, needed to be killed.

Thranduil was many things, but he wasn't a coward. He wasn't afraid to kill a dragon. The only thing he worried about is what would happen to his son if he got injured or even died while fighting the dragon.. _Legolas_. After Thranduil's wife had been murdered by orcs, Legolas was all he had left. If it hadn't been for him, he would have faded away. Despite the growing darkness of the shadow, Legolas had always been like a beacon of light. Thranduil couldn't imagine his reaction if he returned to Greenwood in a.. Less than satisfactory condition.. Legolas was very young in the eyes of their people, a mere elfling. The risk was worth taking though. It was because of Legolas that Thranduil wanted those dragons dead. He didn't want his son to grow up in any more of the shadow than he had to…

The warriors of Greenwood the Great had been traveling for about four days now, and they were nearly to the Withered Heath. Though every single warrior here was very brave, some did fear. They had faced many foes before, but none had been as destructive as a dragon. Never had faced a dragon before, they didn't know what to expect. They had heard rumors of course, but they didn't know how many of them were actually true. One thing they knew was true though - dragons took many lives in the past.

Once they finally reached the dragon territory, Thranduil held up a hand, signaling for the warriors to stop. "Be on guard. Look for any sign of dragons. If you catch sight of one of their lairs, alert me immediately." He spoke quietly, yet with their elven hearing, every single warrior heard perfectly well. They continued on, their light footsteps not heard by any living thing.

Hours had passed before they finally stumbled upon a lair. Thranduil could only guess what was inside. There could be one single dragon, or multiple. There could be hoards of treasure, or none at all. Giving out orders to the other elves, they started in.

Even for an elf, it was mighty dark inside. Several held torches so they could see, but were careful not to make the flame too big. They wanted to come across the dragon asleep, for it would be much easier to slay. Suddenly though, the cave was filled with noise. Thranduil looked to the ground and found that they were walking on gold coins. As hard as they tried, they couldn't help but make a little racket as they walked. It was a shame, for the noise of the elves walking on gold was all it took to awaken the great beast.

A loud rumble echoed throughout the large cave as the gold shifted, knocking several elves over. Thranduil's eyes narrowed. So the dragon was awake. Fine. He could handle a dragon, even if he was alone. He held his sword out in front of him as he waited for the dragon to emerge. It was silent for a moment. Then, a huge form flew out of the enormous pile of gold and other treasures. The warriors all jumped back in alarm. This beast was larger than any of them could imagine. The dragon looked Thranduil in the eye.

"It has been a while since I last had visitors," a deep and frightening voice rang out. "-And elves no less. What brings you to my lair?"

Thranduil glared at the scaly beast. "We have come to slay you. You're kind are no longer welcome in this land," he said cooly.

The dragon growled at this news and suddenly flew up, the cave being big enough for it to do so. "If one of us is to be slayed, elf, it will be you."

With that, the dragon blew fire at the warriors, who managed to dodge it in time. Several archers shot arrows at the dragon, but they had no effect. Because it was in the air, they could not cut it with their swords. For once in his life, Thranduil was at a loss of what to do. The dragon blew another gust of fire, and this time, it hit its target. The majority of the warriors got out of the way before the fire could hit them. Those who couldn't escape the flame held up their shields, which protected them against the fire. Thranduil wasn't so lucky though..

Before the elven king was fully aware of what was happening, a huge gust of fire hit him. It reached the left side of his body, going from his face to the end of his torso. He staggered backwards. The pain was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It burned so badly he was sure his whole body was on fire. The pain was so intense that he couldn't bring himself to get up. Before he knew it, the world turned into a blur and all he saw was darkness.

Tbc…

 **A/N: So how was that for a first chapter? I'm getting really into this story. It was never fully explained how Thranduil got his scar, so I wanted to write about it. Next chapter, little Legolas, Elrond, and the twins will be showing up. Please leave a comment! If there's anyway I can improve this, please let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the lovely reviews I got! You guys are awesome! Enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 2

The warriors of Greenwood were all very alarmed when their king got torched by the dragon. As it seemed they were losing the battle, they quickly fled the cave. Once out, they waited by a large group of trees, while several warriors with healing experience looked over Thranduil. Everyone was immensely worried. The burn was no simple one, and there was fear of infection. They had to get him back to Greenwood, and soon. Better yet…

"Our healers in Greenwood are not talented enough to deal with a burn this great.." one of the warriors spoke up. "He will need the healers of Imladris.. He will need the power of Lord Elrond.."

There were several worried murmurs. They all agreed that Elrond would be needed.

"Very well," the second in command of the army said. He gestured to two elves. "You two go at once to Imladris and give word to Lord Elrond that he is needed to treat King Thranduil! Make haste!" With a simple nod, the now messengers saddled up their horses and set off right away.

After treating the wounds as best as was currently possible, the Greenwood warriors started back home. They traveled as fast as they could without tiring the horses too much.

Two days passed and not much had changed in Thranduil's condition. What was the fact that he had yet to wake. Of course, rest was crucial for him to improve, but it didn't seem to be doing much. The salve they carried for burns had no effect either. Dragon fire seemed to have worse effects than a normal flame. The wrath and ruin of dragonfire were great indeed..

Elrond was walking about Rivendell, deep in thought, when two elves bearing the colors of Greenwood entered, looking as though they were in a great hurry. He watched as they hastily explained something to a guard, who then pointed them to where Elrond was. He raised his eyebrows, wondering what they were here for. It had been centuries since a wood elf came here. And if it was help they needed, Elrond knew it must be dire. Thranduil was a very proud elf, and he would never admit to needing assistance unless it was life-threatening.

The two messengers came up to him looking worried. They each bowed to him before speaking. "My Lord Elrond," the first one started. "A troop of warriors accompanied King Thranduil to the north to slay dragons.. He got severely injured and we fear you are the only one who has the power to save him."

Elrond was surprised by the news. Going to slay dragons.. He thought that was a rather foolish move of the king, especially considering his lack of experience with the creatures. Now he wasn't a great fan of Thranduil - they had their share of many arguments - he knew he had to help. Were Thranduil to die, the kingdom of Greenwood would be in chaos. The queen was dead, and the prince was far too young to rule. And speaking of the young prince, Elrond was very fond of him. He knew at once that he needed to go there immediately.

Elrond was thanked the Valor that the time of the year was perfect for traveling. The mountain pass could be difficult to cross depending on the weather, but Elrond and his sons, Elrohir and Elladan, managed to get safely through it. After that, the rest of the journey was luckily quiet. It was surprising to them that they hadn't run into any orcs. It seemed the Valor _were_ in their favor.

After three more days of travel, Elrond and his sons reached Greenwood the Great. And great it was indeed, glorious as it had been before the shadow started taking over. Of course, the shadow wouldn't be here for a few more centuries though.

Elrond looked at all of the tall, brilliantly green trees. There was so much life here. At one point in his life he had imagined Greenwood as a dark, frightening place, but that was not yet so.

"Adar, I see the palace ahead," Elladan exclaimed, breaking Elrond out of his thoughts. He gave a nod. "Let us press on then. We are close and Thranduil is in dire need of our assistance."

With that, the three of them continued on their journey, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

Tbc…

 **A/N: Whelp, there's the second chapter. Updates on this should be very quick since I have to submit this by the 30th. I'm planning on chapter 3 or 4 to be the last one, it depends how much I feel the need to write. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this so far! Please, PLEASE leave a review! When a reader takes the time to do that, it literally means the world to an author. And while you wait for the next update, why not check out some of my other stories? Until next time :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Legolas couldn't wait until his ada returned home. He had been gone for over a week, and although that was a very short amount of time to an elf, it felt likes ages to Legolas. He knew that his ada was a mighty fighter and king, but he feared something terrible had happened to him.

Though the prince was very young in the eyes of his people - a mere elfling - that didn't stop him from being one of Greenwood's best archers. Ever since he was old enough to hold a bow, he practiced and practiced until he was extremely skilled with the weapon. It was common to find him out on the archery range, like he was today.

Legolas had just shot his fifth arrow, getting his fifth bullseye, when he both heard and saw a small troop of elves return. Grinning, he dropped his bow and ran over to meet them and to see his adar again. He was expecting Thranduil to come riding proudly on his horse with the news that they slayed the dragon. He was not expecting to find him injured and unconscious. With a gasp, Legolas immediately went to Thranduil's side as healers met them and started taking him to the healing ward.

"W-what happened?" Legolas whispered, staring in disbelief at the burned elf. This couldn't be real.. His ada looked so lifeless just laying there with his eyes _closed_. The sight scared him. Elves' eyes shouldn't be closed like that.. A couple of the warriors who came to the healing ward with them explained to Legolas what had happened. While they spoke, Legolas kept his head bowed. His ada was greatly hurt.. The dragon's attack should have been fatal, but he had been lucky enough to escape.. But in return, the burn horribly disfigured him.

"Please get better soon.." he said quietly, with of course, no reply. He heard voices assure him that Thranduil would be fine. He heard them say that Lord Elrond was coming.. Legolas barely listened though. The voices sounded far and distant.. He couldn't concentrate on anything other than his father's condition. He prayed to the valor that wherever Lord Elrond was, he would be here soon. A single tear slipped down Legolas' face as he feared for his father's life, wishing, hoping, that he would recover..

Breathlessly, Elrond and his son's approached the castle. No guards stopped to question of their identity, signaling that their arrival had been long awaited. As servants came to take their horses to the stables, Elrond hurriedly asked where the king was. Another servant took them up to Thranduil's room, where he was laying.

At first glance, Elrond could tell it was a very serious burn. He got closer to further examine it. Judging by the size of it, and how it was located by his left eye, Elrond doubted that he would be able to see out of that eye. The burn also went deep into the flesh, leaving gaps where skin and muscle should be. Now Elrond had seen many unfortunate burn victims, but none of the surviving ones looked as bad as this. Even with Thranduil's elves healing ability, he had doubt he would recover from this. But knowing what was at stake, Elrond would do whatever he could.

Being so busy examining the seriousness of Thranduil's wound, Elrond almost didn't notice a small figure sitting in a large chair by Thranduil's bed. He recognized it to be the young Legolas, who had silent tears streaming down his face. Elrond could tell just by looking at the prince that he too doubted that his father would recover.

"Elrohir, go and comfort Legolas, will you? He needs a friend right now," Elrond said quietly. "Elladan, you stay here and help me." Though the twins were a couple hundred of years older than Legolas, they had known each other since Legolas was barely old enough to talk. The three of them quickly became close friends.

Elrohir nodded and wordlessly walked over to the young prince, who held held his head in one hand as he closed his eyes, facing downward. His shoulders arched with silent sobs. Elrohir wished that he knew what to say to cheer Legolas up, but he wasn't sure there was anything to say. How could you tell someone everything would be okay, if it didn't seem that it would?

Elrohir put a gentle and kind hand on the shoulder of Legolas, watching Elrond and Elladan treat Thranduil. Everyone had a worried expression on their face. As far as they could tell, even Elrond's ways of healing weren't affecting the deep burn. The four elves surrounding Thranduil all prayed desperately that he would recover. Even elves weren't completely invincible.. When an elf died though, it always seemed wrong. Elves were supposed to live forever, eventually sailing to the undying lands..

Hours passed, and there was still no improvement in the woodland king's condition. What worried Elrond, was that Thranduil seemed to be getting even worse. It seemed as if-

"No.." Elrond said in disbelief. Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas all looked at him in confusion and worry.

"W-what?" Legolas said, almost afraid to ask. "He's.. H-He's not…"

Elrond shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry.. He's fading away into the darkness this burn caused him.. There is nothing more I can do.."

There was a terrible silence. Everyone stared at him in shock. Then, without warning, Legolas sobbed aloud as got up, reaching for his father. Though it pained him to do so, Elrohir pulled him back. Though Thranduil was passing, the slightest touch would still cause him pain. Legolas fought Elrohir, screaming for his adar, but he eventually gave up, falling limp into Elrohir's arms, the screams turning into quiet sobs once again. He wrapped his arms around the brown haired elf, and Elrohir embraced him tightly back. Tears of sadness fell down all of their faces. Not only was Thranduil dying, but his young son had to watch it..

Elrond thinked desperately for an answer, not wishing for this to happen. Thranduil could not die.. He could not…

Suddenly, an idea came to Elrond's mind. _Vilya_. Of course! The ring of air.. Elrond only used it when he had to, the ring's great power was not to be used lightly with. He didn't like the thought of having to use the power of the ring to heal Thranduil, but it seemed at the moment to be the only answer.

"Wait.." Elrond whispered. "All of you, stand back." The twins looked at Elrond curiously, and Legolas lifted his head up. "Adar wha-" Elrohir started, but stopped as he realised what was happening.

Without a second thought, Elrond held up Vilya. It glowed blue as its power surrounded Thranduil. He focused all his energy into the ring, willing it to save Thranduil's life. Even he did not know the extent of Vilya's power.. For all he knew, it wouldn't work, but he held onto the hope that it would.

A moment later, the blue energy surrounding Thranduil vanished. Thranduil gave a slight lurch, and Elrond rushed back over in alarm, fearing it didn't work. He let out a huge sigh of relief though, when he realised it did. He could tell that Thranduil would soon be on the road to recovery.

A few weeks passed until Thranduil was back to normal. Well as normal as he could be after that incident… He still bore the terrible scar from the burn, but using elven-magic, he was able to conceal it.

Thranduil was angry that the dragon was able to injure him so easily. He felt as though he would never be able to let go of the burden of his unfriendly reminder, until he went to slay the dragon, and so to slay the dragon he went. This time Thranduil went alone, needing to prove his worth. And this time, the dragon would not win. It would be sorry it ever harmed him.

The wrath of dragon fire was great indeed, but Thranduil would get his revenge…

End

 **A/N: Man, I don't know about you guys, but I was feelin' the emotions while writing this! Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this! A review would mean the world to me. There's so many of you lurkers out there. even if you took the time to leave a one word review, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!**

 **Also, comment what LOTR stories you'd like to see from me next.**

 **Thanks so much for reading!**


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